Monday 19 July 2021 - A Busy Day

Back to Monday morning bike rides!

Today I pedalled off to Marsland Bridge to meet Cary for a ride that I've done before,* albeit by slightly different routes.

* 22 October 2018, 29 October 2018, 1 July 2019.

We paused at the aqueduct in Eccles, where the Bridgewater Canal crosses the Manchester Ship Canal.

 

Above: Looking back

Structure by the aqueduct

Monton

Worsley

We continued along the excellent surface of the canal towpath, all the way to Pennington Flash, where we stopped for a good long break.

10 km further on (after a road section) we reached the beauty spot that is the 'Mucky Mountains Nature Reserve'.

This was Cary's longest ride to date on his new 'gravel bike'. He was also trying out his Ortlieb panniers. I think it was all a success.

Meanwhile, Sue and Jenny were 'wild swimming' at a secret venue in the Peak District, having failed in a bid to book the outdoor pool in Hathersage.

Cary and I noticed several families of swans. One with six cygnets, another with seven cygnets, and this pair in the Sankey valley appeared to have ten youngsters.

By the time we'd reached the Trans Pennine Trail and passed through Warrington to the disused railway line at Thelwall, Cary's engine was misfiring slightly, but his bike was fine.

I got home sometime after 3pm, then in order to achieve my aim of a 5km walk or run every day, I enjoyed a (not)parkrun, on this occasion a walk. The greenery beside the Bridgewater Canal in Timperley is very lush at present.

Sue returned from her wild swim and visit to a National Trust garden at Biddulph, smoked mackerel salad was eaten, then we went to Eagley Jazz Club in Bolton for its first event since the beginning of 2020.

John Hallam and the Tom Kincaid Trio - excellent - that's two live gigs in the last two days, after 16 months of nothing. 60 people attended. We felt safe from Covid.